The 1996 film “Bio-Dome,” starring Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin, filmed at the Japanese Garden of the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys, California. The location has been used in countless TV shows and films, notably serving as the “Starfleet Academy” in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: Voyager” and “Star Trek: Enterprise.” Other TV shows to film there include the original “Knight Rider,” “Murder She Wrote” and the original “Charmed.” Films such as “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” “Twins,” “Ghost In The Machine,” “Rising Sun,” “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery,” “Nowhere,” “Zoombies,” “Cyber Tracker” and “Most Wanted” also filmed at the location.
The Japanese Garden is well worth a visit, even if you’re not a movie buff. There’s lots of beautiful greens and a pond not shown in this article.
In the 1988 Ivan Reitman comedy “Twins,” Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger play two long-lost brothers who reconnect. The film was shot in California, New Mexico and Texas. Julius (Schwarzenegger) and Vincent (DeVito) first encounter each other in front of the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, although they don’t realize it. The theater has appeared in countless films, such as “Valley Girl,” “Rush Hour,” “Calendar Girl,” “The Aviator,” “Iron Man 3” and many more.
LOCATION: 6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028
Julius visits an orphanage seeking information on Vincent. The actual building isn’t an orphanage, rather an apartment building. This same building has appeared in the films ”The Cable Guy,” “American Pie 2,” “Changeling,” “Annabelle: Creation,” “Ouija,” “Oujia: Origin of Evil,” “The Ring 2,” “Puppet Master II,” “Truth or Dare,” “Where Sleeping Dogs Lie,” “Species III” and many more. It has also appeared in numerous TV shows, such as “Westworld,” “You,” “American Crime Story,” “Teen Wolf,” “Bosch: Legacy” and more.
LOCATION: 306 Loma Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Julius bails Vincent out of jail from this police station, located in Van Nuys. While the entrance seen in the film faces Erwin St, it is a section only accessible to pedestrian traffic. The same building appeared in another Arnold Schwarzenegger film, “Kindergarten Cop.”
LOCATION: 14400 Erwin St, Van Nuys, CA 91401
Vincent’s office can be found in Hollywood at the Hollywood First National Bank Building. The same building appeared in the films “The Nice Guys,” “The Retrievers” and “The Atomic City,” as well as briefly appearing in the background in “Reservoir Dogs.”
LOCATION: 6777 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Webster, played by Marshall Bell, goes to meet his clients at the Japanese Garden of the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys, after a car he was supposed to pick up isn’t in a parking garage. The location has been used in countless TV shows and films, notably serving as the “Starfleet Academy” in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: Voyager” and “Star Trek: Enterprise.” Other TV shows to film there include the original “Knight Rider,” “Murder She Wrote” and the original “Charmed.” Films such as “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” “Bio-Dome,” “Ghost In The Machine,” “Rising Sun,” “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery,” “Nowhere,” “Zoombies,” “Cyber Tracker” and “Most Wanted” also filmed at the location.
LOCATION: 6100 Woodley Ave, Van Nuys, CA 91406
Vincent lives at this Santa Monica house. The house has since been remodeled from how it appeared in the film, but does still bear some resemblance.
LOCATION: 323 11th St, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Julius walks up this Pasadena driveway in search of their father.
LOCATION: 1126 Hillcrest Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106
Vincent and Julius embark on a trip to New Mexico, accompanied by Linda (Chloe Webb) and Marnie (Kelly Preston). They are seen crossing the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge in El Prado, New Mexico. The bridge is far removed from most tourist destinations, requiring hours of driving through mountains and winding terrain to reach it. Once you’re there, however, it’s instantly recognizable. The same bridge appeared in the films “Natural Born Killers,” “She’s Having A Baby,” “This Must Be The Place,” “Wild Hogs,” “Vacation,” “Paul,” “Terminator: Salvation,” “The Signal,” “Catchfire” and “White Sands.” It gets extremely windy on this bridge, so much so, you can feel the vibration on the bridge as you stand on it.
LOCATION: Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, US-64, El Prado, NM 87529
At the end of the film, Vincent and Julius pose for family photos in front of the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round. It has appeared in many other films, including “The Prestige,” “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Beautiful” and “Destroyer,” as well as such TV shows as “Alias,” “CSI: NY” and the TV series adaptation of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” It also famously served as an inspiration to Walt Disney in his decision to create Disneyland.
LOCATION: 4730 Crystal Springs Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Sean Baker’s 2015 film “Tangerine” made waves at the Sundance Film Festival for being shot entirely with iPhones. The film depicts the life of a transgender Los Angeles prostitute, Sin-Dee, played by Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, as she discovers her boyfriend and pimp has been cheating on her.
The opening scene, as well as later scenes, were filmed at the former Donut Time on Santa Monica Blvd. The filmmakers aimed for authenticity in their choice of locations, as this section of Hollywood is widely known for prostitution. The Donut Time has since been replaced by Trejo’s Coffee and Donuts, owned and operated by actor Danny Trejo.
LOCATION: 6785 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Sin-Dee makes her way down to the Vermont / Santa Monica Metro Station.
LOCATION: 1015 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029
She sits at this bench in front of the station, considering her next moves.
Sin-Dee makes her way to a motel full of drug addicts and prostitutes, in search of another prostitute, whom she believes is cheating with her boyfriend. This is the former Grand Motel, which has since closed. Amy Winehouse also filmed scenes for her music video for “Tears Dry On Their Own” at the motel.
LOCATION: 1479 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035
Another view of the former motel property, which is now fenced off until it is either remodeled or demolished.
The apartment exterior seen in the first three seasons of the 70s / 80s sitcom “Three’s Company” can be found in Santa Monica, California. The building, which is actually a house, is tucked away behind tall shrubs and a fenced gate, but at the right angle, you can still manage a good view. The property still mostly resembles how it appeared on the show.
LOCATION: 2912 4th St, Santa Monica, CA 90405
The opening credits for season 4 were filmed at the Santa Monica Pier. John Ritter can be seen riding this carousel, which is still in operation. This same location was featured in the film “The Net.”
LOCATION: 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401
The cast is seen walking near the entrance of the pier. The building on the right is where the carousel is located. The same building was seen in the 1961 Dennis Hopper film “Night Tide.”
The house featured prominently in the 1991 Wes Craven horror film “The People Under the Stairs” can be found in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The home is known as the Thomas W. Phillips Residence.
LOCATION: 2215 S Harvard Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018
The 2008 David Fincher film “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” shot mostly in the New Orleans area, with some additional sequences filmed in Quebec, Canada and the Los Angeles County area.
Benjamin Button, played by Brad Pitt, is born at this house, known as the Lanaux Mansion Bed and Breakfast in New Orleans. In the film, the house belongs to Benjamin’s father, played by Jason Flemyng, who, upon seeing Benjamin at birth, grabs him and takes him away from the home. Later in the film, an adult Benjamin returns to the home to visit his ailing father.
LOCATION: 547 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116
The house where Benjamin lives for much of the film and where he meets Daisy, played by Cate Blanchett, is known as the Nolan House. The shrubs lining the property have grown much higher since filming completed, making portions of the house and yard unfortunately more difficult to see.
LOCATION: 2707 Coliseum St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Mr. Oti, played by Rampai Mogadishu, takes Benjamin to this peristyle, where they sit and talk as they look out onto the water. The peristyle can be found at the New Orleans City Park.
LOCATION: 42 Dreyfous Dr, New Orleans, LA 70119
Another view of the peristyle.
Daisy dances for Benjamin at the Newman Bandstand in Audubon Park. Some extra decor was added to the bandstand for the film.
LOCATION: Newman Bandstand, Golf Club Dr, New Orleans, LA 70118
We leave you with some props from the film. One of the aged, prosthetic masks worn by Brad Pitt can be seen on the Paramount Studio Tour.
LOCATION: 5555 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Also located in the Paramount prop room is the clock that runs backwards in the film.
For Rob Zombie’s 2009 sequel, “Halloween II,” various towns in Georgia were used as a composite for the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. The opening scenes of the film, however, used footage from the first film for Smith’s Grove Sanitarium. The location is a Veteran’s Hospital in North Hills, California. There are quite a number of buildings on site and it can be tricky finding the exact spot used in the film. To locate it, you must first turn onto Puller Rd. Each building has a large number on it. A bit down Puller Rd, you’ll see the building from the film, which is building 4. It can be easily identified by the long wall surrounding the yard in front of it.
LOCATION: 16111 Plummer St, North Hills, CA 91343
The story picks up moments after the first film, even though the two productions took place far across the country from one another. Laurie walks the streets of the town square of Covington, Georgia, which has been seen in dozens of productions, such as “Doctor Sleep,” “Cannonball Run,” “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “The Vampire Diaries” and many more. This shot is from Covington Square, looking toward the courthouse.
LOCATION: 2101 Washington St SW, Covington, GA 30014
The Myers house can also be found in Covington, not far from the town square.
LOCATION: 2166 Conyers St SE, Covington, GA 30014
Sheriff Brackett’s house can be found over in Newborn, Georgia. The house sits far back from the road.
LOCATION: 1981 Broughton Rd, Newborn, GA 30056
Back in Covington, Laurie comes across a new book by Dr. Loomis at a local bookstore.
LOCATION: 1113 Floyd St NE, Covington, GA 30014
The Haddonfield Police Department is actually a courthouse, located in Madison, Georgia.
LOCATION: Morgan County Court House, Madison, GA 30650 (at the corner of Hancock St / Jefferson St)
Last, but not least, we leave you with Rob Zombie’s star paver, located in Covington, Georgia. Sometimes referred to as the “Hollywood of the South,” Covington began their own walk of fame, lining the sidewalks with engraved pavers noting the many stars and productions that have graced the town.
As part of the Jim Henson “Imagination Unlimited” Exhibition at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, some puppets and props from Henson’s 1982 film “The Dark Crystal” were on display. The exhibition ran from June 1 through September 2, 2018.
Here are the Kira and Jen puppets. Jim Henson served as puppeteer for Jen in the film.
This is the puppet for SkekSil the Chamberlain, for which Frank Oz served as puppeteer.
Some miscellaneous props used by the Skeksis, Mystics and Pod People.
Some tie-in books to the film.
While the exhibition has since closed, all of these pieces were on loan from New York’s Museum of Moving Image (gifted by the family of Jim Henson) and will likely go back on display there at a future date.
In the 1998 Tony Kaye film “American History X,” Derek, played by Edward Norton, lives at this house in Venice, California. After a racially motivated assault in front of the house, Derek is sent to prison.
LOCATION: 2206 Meade Pl, Venice, CA 90291
Derek and his friends play a basketball game at the Venice Beach Recreation Center in order to determine which race wins rights to play on the court.
LOCATION: 1800 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA 90291
Derek and his skinhead crew vandalize the former Archie’s Ranch Market in North Hollywood, which has since closed and is now a gym. This angle seen in the film is from the rear parking lot. The same market appeared in the film “10 Items Or Less.”
LOCATION: 7500 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91605
Danny, played by Edward Furlong, attends school at the famous Venice High School, most well know for its use in the film “Grease.” It also appears in such films as “Matchstick Men” and “Heathers.”
LOCATION: 13000 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066
Derek escapes a confrontation with his former supremacist friends and disposes of a gun in a dumpster at this intersection. This is located just one block up from the basketball court seen earlier in the film.
LOCATION: 18th Ave & Speedway, Los Angeles, CA 90291
Derek’s family moves into this apartment later in the film.
LOCATION: 1250 Gordon St, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Derek and his brother Danny visit Johnie’s Coffee Shop Restaurant in midtown Los Angeles. The restaurant closed many years ago, but still operates as a filming location. It has appeared in “Reservoir Dogs,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Miracle Mile,” “Gone in Sixty Seconds,” the 1983 film “Suburbia” and many more.
LOCATION:6099 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048
In the 1994 Neil Jordan adaptation of Anne Rice’s “Interview With The Vampire,” Louis, played by Brad Pitt, recounts his story to Malloy, played by Christian Slater at a San Francisco hotel located at 1020 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94102.
Louis lives at this estate, which is the Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana. The plantation is open to public tours. This house and its distinct row of trees can actually be seen from the road of LA-18. However, you might find it difficult to stop and get a photo, as there is no parking along the street. The same home was also seen in the 1998 film “Primary Colors.”
LOCATION: 3645 LA-18, Vacherie, LA 70090
Lestat and Claudia, played by Tom Cruise and Kirsten Dunst, wipe out an entire family after Claudia plays piano for them. The exterior scenes, where coffins are seen being carried out, were filmed at the Madame John’s Legacy historic home and museum. The interior of the same building appeared in the film “12 Years a Slave.”
LOCATION: 632 Dumaine St, New Orleans, LA 70116
In the film’s closing scenes, Malloy is unexpectedly met by Lestat as they cross the Golden Gate Bridge.